A N1 million bribe scandal is rocking the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Kogi State University (KSU) in Ayingba. The cash allegedly came from the government to stop students from protesting against the indefinite closure of the school. But the government has denied the allegation, saying it has no money to throw away

THE Kogi State University (KSU) Students’ Union Government (SUG) executive is divided – no thanks to an alleged N1 million gift by Governor Yahya Bello. But the governor has denied giving the union money, saying rather than do that, he would spend the cash to pay striking workers of the institution to ensure their return to work. The school has been shut indefinitely, following the workers’ strike over salary.

The union leaders are said to be bickering over who gets the “lion’s share” of the largesse.

The cash, it was gathered, was given to the students to discredit the striking workers and to prevent a recurrence of the July 13, 2016 students’ demonstration that may embarrass the government.

The students grounded activities in Lokoja, the state capital, last year during their demonstration against the indefinite closure of the school. The protest, it was gathered, embarrassed the governor. To prevent a reocurrence,  it was learnt that Bello secretly gave the SUG the money.

The government dismissed the claim as false, saying it would not fritter away the state’s lean resources. It challenged anyone with proof of such gift to produce it.

The union’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ogiri Emmanuel, blew the lid off the bribe scandal. He claimed that the president, Philip Omepa, was planning to corner the money. Philip, our correspondent gathered, reportedly received the alleged bribe on the union’s behalf.

It was gathered that after the money, Philip wanted to take half of it. But, other members objected, alleging that Philip wanted to short-change them.

The students’ leaders traded words on social media. Students and alumni members tried to resolve the matter to no avail.

Philip and his loyalist are calling for the sack camp of the students in the Ogiri camp.

The Ogiri camp, which calls itself “Integrity Group”, said it would mobilise students against the union president. It threatened to expose what it called Philip’s dirty dealings  since he assumed office.

Ogiri said: “Our Students’ Union has been used as conduit of personal enrichment and corruption over the years by Omepa. I think it is high time we exposed his dirty deals before the matter gets out of hand.”

But in a swift reaction, Philip described Ogiri as a “confused comrade”, saying the PRO lied against him to win sympathy for his “evil cause”. The president denied that he has been using his position to enrich himself.

Philip said: “Ogiri thinks he can blackmail me to gain sympathy on social media. One thing is paramount about truth; no matter how long it takes, it will surely come out. Ogiri might be feeling that students are dissatisfied with the way I have run the union, but I can assure him the success of my administration will be felt in the school for a long time.”

Asked by CAMPUSLIFE if the crisis was caused by the alleged bribe, the president denied receiving money from the governor, saying Ogiri was out to tarnish his name for a personal score.

Philip said: “I did not collect any money from the governor or his representatives. The problem in the union is not about the money, but about a personal score. Ogiri knows I am richer than him, even as an undergraduate.

“I can feed myself without SUG money or any bribe from anywhere. So it is not about the money, but about the threats he made that he would make my administration look bad before students. If anyone has totally derailed from unionism and is using the SUG as conduit for personal enrichment, it is Ogiri.”

The PRO accused the president of financial recklessness, alleging that the Philip-led administration could not account for the N4 million remitted to the union as students’ dues by management.

Philip said his administration got the lowest students’ dues. The money, he said, was judiciously disbursed to implement priority projects, citing the ongoing construction of the Students’ Centre.

The president said: “We could have used the N4 million to make chairs and construct toilets across the campus, but the union cannot continue with such petty projects year in, year out. We need to have a place of our own. We embarked on building a befitting secretariat, float a photocopy and business centre, and an eatery.”

Philip accused Ogiri and other members of the executive of championing a smear campaign against him. He said his achievement in ending cult killings and promoting cordial relations between students and management could not be erased. He challenged Ogiri to come out with proof of the alleged bribe.

Describing the bribery allegation as false, Director-General, Media and Publicity to the governor, Kingsley Fanwo, said the Bello administration remains prudent in the management of state resources. The government, Fanwo said, does not have the free money to throw around.

He said: “Rather than taking government money to bribe students for any reason, or against demonstrations as being alleged, we would keep the money and add it to what we have in the coffers to pay the striking workers, so that the students can go back to school. It is baseless and mischievous for anyone to say we bribe students not to demonstrate.”